Catherine L. Smillie Frisch (AOCA, Drawing & Painting, 1963)

As a child I always wanted to be an artist as my mother was an artist and her friend Elizabeth Bradford Hallmark a renowned sculptor and alumna of OCA would encourage me with their stories and experiences. I was determined to go to art school rather than attend university!

My fondest memories were the day-to-day studio classes with my instructors Carl Schaefer, Eric Friefeld, Fred Hagan and the camaraderie of my fellow students. Then highlights were the sketching -- to the Royal Winter Fair, The National Ballet of Canada and the Royal Ontario Museum. 

OCA left me with a lifelong appreciation of the decorative and fine arts and consequently a much richer life became of it. I am still working as a printmaker and try to participate in classes and workshops. 

To me art school is an invaluable road in the life of an artist as it not only teaches the fundamentals of your craft but exposes you to different mediums and points of view!